


Heartbreak Revisited

by GlassMenagerie



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Dark One Emma Swan, F/F, Protostar challenge, Season 5 side mission, pretty sure I mention one beard one time
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-05
Updated: 2017-09-05
Packaged: 2018-12-16 12:30:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 15,129
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11828793
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GlassMenagerie/pseuds/GlassMenagerie
Summary: Set in Camelot after the events of 5x05 "Dreamcatcher," Emma's latent wish to take Regina's pain away for good backfires when she knowingly uses Regina's powerless tear in the spell to free Merlin. Now Emma must travel through her friend's most painful memories and reclaim her tears to wake Regina up, hopefully sooner than later considering they're both still laying on the floor...





	1. Backfire

**Author's Note:**

  * For [inkedauthority](https://archiveofourown.org/users/inkedauthority/gifts).



> My very first finished multi-chapter fic! I'm quite proud of it so I truly hope you all love it at least a little bit as much as I do. A very special thanks to my beta and best friend, Bayley (ThePlaceboEffects), for reading this and motivating me to actually do the fic writing side of the Supernova this year! 
> 
> And another great thanks to Inkedauthority for making the amazing edit that inspired this fic which you can see right here: 
> 
> Just as a bit of a side note, Emma is still the Dark One during these events but it doesn't effect her too much except for getting a bit draining when she uses magic too much. I basically have Hook and Robin out of the picture completely except for one mention right in the beginning, but it's quickly dismissed.
> 
> So enjoy! and don't forget to like and comment because I require constant validation!

Seeing someone’s memories was really a powerful thing… scary, almost. She really was sad she had to put Regina through that torture again, but it was all for getting them out, right? At least that’s what Emma had made Regina believe. Truly she couldn’t use Regina’s tear, the memory was too old, but she also knew that she’d never be able to involve the person she needed to in order to make this work. Regina would never allow it. So instead she spent the entire day working two jobs: ruining Henry’s first love and keeping Regina out of the way. Everything had gone surprisingly well, freeing Merlin and all. Emma was pleasantly surprised as well when no one was the wiser until a few weeks later. That’s when she realized she’d fucked up.

 

The usually perturbed brunette had come into Emma’s room, noticeably less imposing than usual. She looked unsure, concerned even, and Emma wasn’t used to it in the slightest. “Emma, um..”

 

Um? The Regina she knew never hesitated with what she wanted. She either spat it out or took it without bothering to ask. A shy murmur was something wholly unknown to either of them.

 

“You know how normally I have an issue with inner rage? That’s just gone. As if it was never there. I think you might have messed with my memories. I just sat and talked to Snow for two hours about babies and how beautiful Camelot is and that’s not... normal.” Regina was staring hard at Emma, as if she was trying to gauge a reaction or trying to scope out what Emma had done.

 

Emma only laughed and waved her off, turning away. “That’s called being a friend, Regina. You were just being nice.”

 

“I told Robin marriage was a good idea.”

 

“Okay, well that’s inaccurate seeing as you’ve told me repeatedly, and I quote, 'Marriage is for people whose bond can’t be sustained on trust alone.'”

 

“I also let Zelena have her voice back and took the cuff off.”

 

“Jesus, Regina, why?”

 

“She asked very nicely and I trusted her.”

 

“Are you hearing yourself? She asked nicely? What the hell is wrong with you?”

 

“I told you there was something wrong with me! Why else would I be here!” Regina’s voice echoed throughout the large room, stopping Emma in her tracks. She’d be lying if she said it wasn’t jarring to hear Regina raise her voice like that to her.

 

However, before Emma could respond, Regina ran over with a look of pure guilt on her face. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have yelled. That was rude.” The blonde stared wide-eyed at the brunette who, was clearly not herself. Regina Mills never apologized, especially not to Emma, not for being frustrated and yelling.

 

“Regina… when did this start?”

 

“Oh um.. I don’t know. A while ago, I think, but it’s been getting more pronounced lately.”

 

“A while ago as in..?”

 

“I suppose right after we freed Merlin.” _Well shit._ She knew everything had gone too well.

 

But this didn’t mean she had to tell Regina about her wrongdoings. No, of course not. Instead she’d just...stall. Yeah.

 

“Okay well let’s go figure out what’s wrong with you. Maybe it has something to do with the day we got him out of that tree.” Regina nodded in agreement and to both of their surprises, grabbed Emma’s pale hand without second thought.

 

“Let’s try some of Merlin’s books, that’s where we got the spell from.” As Regina tugged though, Emma stayed put. Regina only tugged harder, using both of her hands to try and pull the blonde from the spot she was seemingly rooted in. “Come on, Emma!”

 

But Emma didn’t know what to do. She was freaking out. If Regina ever found out what happened, she would never trust her again and she’d worked so hard to gain that trust. Okay maybe she could figure out what was wrong with Regina without delving into the topic of having to use Henry. Everything would be perfectly fine assuming she could discover the problem before Regina did.

 

Suddenly Emma let herself be moved which sent her crashing into a startled Regina. “Whoops...” And just like a switch had been flipped, Regina could see her old endearing Emma back. It was in the way she rubbed the back of her neck and gave that silly crooked smile. If the former queen hadn’t been under her own personal curse, she might have attempted to hide the glimmer of hope in her eyes. Truly the most annoying thing about this issue was that it diverted her away from their primary goal: helping Emma get away from the Darkness. A curse consumed to save Regina and now here Emma was getting her best friend out of trouble again.

 

“Please, oh Dark One..” Regina droned; apparently not all of that familiar sass was gone. Emma gave Regina a confused look before catching on and rolling her eyes, giving up her fight. If she didn’t go along with the plan, Regina would know Emma was hiding something. Emma finally allowed the brunette to drag her along without hesitation, nearly tripping her up the stairs to the tower that had become their own little hideout in the past few weeks.

 

The room was just as they’d left it. Regina’s side was neat and clean with all of the books she’d searched through stacked by category and age; any book would be recoverable for sure. In contrast, Emma’s half of the room was a complete wreck. Unfortunately being cursed didn’t do anything to make Emma more organized. Upon seeing it, Regina sighed and finally let go of Emma’s hand in favor of moving to the books, starting to clean and rearrange Emma’s side.

 

The blonde shook her head and watched Regina work. Even cursed into niceties, the older woman couldn’t help but clean up after Emma. She was always looking after her, even when it was the last thing Emma said she wanted, Regina was there without fail. It was really nice though not to hear all the snarky comments though... It’d be wrong to keep her like this, wouldn’t it?

 

“Miss Swan, are you going to help me or no?” And she looked up with just the purest pout she’d ever seen-- something she’d swear was straight from Henry’s book of tricks. No, she had to fix Regina, no discussion. Even if it lead to Regina hating her for a while, she had to get her Regina back. Her Regina didn’t pout unless it was to mock someone and now here she was doing it only to get Emma to move a few steps. This wasn’t normal and she found she didn’t like it too much.

 

With a hesitant chuckle, the blonde sauntered over to Regina’s side and began stacking books in a corner of a desk. “Right, so what are we looking for?”

 

\-----

 

Damn it. Damn it. Damn it.

 

Emma cautiously looked over her shoulder to where Regina was buried deep into her own book, searching for an answer to her troubles. Little did she know, Emma had found it and she was none too happy about it. If she’d known letting Regina’s tear fail in the spell would cause this, she would have found another way. She never would have hurt her and now... now she had to fix it.

 

“I know the problem.”

 

At her words, Regina shot over to Emma, ready to hear what the other had found. Upon hearing nothing but silence, she snapped her fingers close to the pale face, wanting to jolt her out of whatever trance she was in. “Um hello... do you care to enlighten me??”

 

She turned around to face Regina, staring into her worried face for arguably too long a moment before grabbing her arms tightly. “This is all my fault.” Emma started to shake her friend back and forth, very obviously freaking out. “Regina, this is all my fault... I’m so sorry. I never meant to-”

 

“Emma, stop it.”

 

And she froze. At Regina’s request she just stopped. And looked. “I took your pain away.”

 

“Don’t flatter yourself. You’re good company, but-”

 

“Regina, I literally took your pain away.”

 

“That’s asinine,” Regina waved her hand and moved to go see what Emma was talking about.

 

Emma hesitantly handed over the book, open to a page that explained the dangers of their spell backfiring mixed with an intense wish. Even though she’d come to a conclusion as to what happened as soon as Regina burst into her room demanding answers, she’d so hoped that she was wrong. Apparently not.

 

As Regina finished reading over the page, she slammed the book shut and promptly whacked it again Emma’s side. “You absolute idiot! How could you do this to me?”

 

“Woah! Ow!” Emma yanked the book from her friend’s hands and shoved it safely out of reach. “I can fix this!”

 

Eventually she just had to go ahead and lay out the entire story: how she’d seen Regina’s memories while accidentally wishing her pain away and how their first spell backfiring ended up stealing painful moments from her life. Really Emma had meant she wanted to be able to help Regina through her issues, not literally take them away completely, but that was the problem with wishing, right?

 

“How?” The brunette placed her hands on her hips, giving Emma a very familiar disapproving look. “Whether you had good intentions or not, I can’t live like this.”

 

Emma took a self-preserving step back and fiddled with the hem of her sleeve. “Well the book said I had to get your memories back so... that stuff we made before? Can you isolate part of the spell?”

 

“I suppose I could try, but it’ll take a while..” It was so weird seeing Regina not actively throttling Emma for this. She’d been hit with a book yes, but that was quite mild compared to the rage she should’ve been getting. “Let’s just do it.”

 

“My tear is what triggered this thing directly to me. That’s what you took from me.” The brunette shifted her weight onto the table, tapping her fingers against the wood like she did when she had to think really hard. “In that case, I guess if you have to get my memories, you can try gathering my tears?”

 

Emma didn’t have a better idea so she just nodded and moved out of Regina’s way. “How can I help?”

 

“You just sit and wait for this vial to fill,” Regina said as she placed everything in order, trying to arrange everything before she lost her train of thought. “If you drink this when it’s full, you should be able to keep it as you go and use it to collect my tears back.”

 

She watched Regina dash around the room like a mad scientist, mixing and pouring alien liquids into her makeshift systems.“Do you think this is going to work?”

 

The older woman stopped in her tracks to look back at Emma with a deadly serious look. “I have no other solution so I hope for your sake it does because if I’m still like this when you’re done- forced niceties or not- I will make your life hell.”

 

“Right... right, yeah. It’ll work,” Emma confirmed as she sat down to wait. If this didn’t work, Regina Mills would be after her ass, and not in the good way.

 

And so an hour and a half later, Emma was fighting sleep from sheer boredom as she watched the liquids and gases flow through the twisted glass tubes. “How can you stand waiting this long?” When she didn’t get any response after a few minutes, Emma looked over and was surprised to find Regina slumped over in a chair. She never slouched; it was practically a cardinal sin.

 

“Regina.”

 

Still no answer.

 

“Regina, wake up…” Emma pushed Regina’s shoulder, but she only slid out of her chair and limply hit the floor.

 

Emma frantically shook Regina from her spot on the floor. Everything had been going well until Emma’s gaze caught Regina collapsing out of the corner of her eye. The blonde was just quick enough to capture her and ease her gently into a booth, cradling her head probably more intimately than need be. She was starting to get seriously concerned as she poked Regina’s cheek, something she knew Regina absolutely hated, but she just wouldn’t wake up.

 

God, this was so bad. Regina would only hate her more if she told anyone so she was in this alone, but that potion. Was it done yet? Reluctantly, Emma left Regina on the floor and hurried over to the bubbling liquids. Upon close inspection, the vial was pretty much full so she figured it was safe to take. She went back to the unconscious woman as soon as she had the bottle secured and took Regina’s hand in hers.

 

“Listen, I’m really sorry. I know you can’t hear me, but I fucked up and I know you’re mad so I’ll let you yell at me all you want when we wake you up, okay?” Emma stared at the bottle only for a moment before gulping the liquid down. “I’ll be yelling at you for the taste of this though, god...” She choked and sputtered as she felt a strange heat coursing through her veins.

 

Suddenly she felt sleepy, and seeing as she currently felt too weak to move both of them to anywhere more comfortable, Emma resigned herself to settling in beside Regina.

 

And so there they lay, hand in hand on the floor of their tower. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y'all, there's a cool comment contest this year and you should totally participate!!
> 
> Writers and artists spent months creating the fics and art you enjoy - it would mean the world to them if you commented to tell them what you liked! The SQSupernova team is also sponsoring a contest for commenters, and you can find out more [here](http://sqsupernova.tumblr.com/post/164792441694/announcing-the-sqsn-comments-contest-a-reward-for)


	2. Stable Girl

Horse manure...

The dank smell wafted through the air, rousing Emma from her sleep? Teleportation? Eh, whatever, she was awake.

She stood up to brush herself off and was immediately grateful her clothing hadn’t changed. Wherever she was, hopefully she’d fit right in. Unsure of where exactly Regina was or even what she’d look like, Emma decided to just take a small stroll around. If Henry were here, he’d surely know when and where they were; that kid was a walking encyclopedia. Oh well, wandering was always good too.

Emma looked up at the bright, open sky, took a deep breath and headed out through the clearing of trees.

Eventually Emma had lost track of how long she’d been aimlessly wandering around the grounds, but she must have been doing something right because not too far out in the distance she could see some sort of stable, and even further out a modest-sized castle. As soon as she laid eyes on it, a tingling ran under Emma’s skin as if alerting her to saying she’s going in the right direction. Emma sped up her pace then, nearly breaking into a run because the sooner she found Regina and fixed this, the sooner she could tell her the truth.

The stable grew larger as it came into view still dingy and well, stable-like, but much closer. This didn’t look like any place the Regina she knew would be spending her time but she supposed maybe she would at least find someone who’d point the brunette out for her. How would she even describe Regina? Brown hair, kind of bitchy, a little bit short-

“Oh no, I’m so sorry!” Some hard person had nearly knocked Emma off her feet. Instead she merely stumbled back a few inches and looked around for what ran into her. Her eyes travelled all around before settling on a young girl, clutching at her chest on the ground.

She looked softer and more fragile, but there was her Regina. The two shared a long moment of eye contact before Emma shook herself out of her daze and offered a hand out to the girl. “No, it’s alright. I wasn’t paying attention either.” From what she remembered Regina saying about her younger years, she was nothing as she was today-- much more demure and compliant than the hardened mayor was. Because of this, Emma let her compulsive passive aggressive comment fizzle away and instead replaced it with a “I’m the one trespassing after all. You should be yelling at me.”

“So you know who I am?” Shit. Emma wasn’t supposed to know who Regina was. Or well, she wasn’t supposed to let Regina know that she knew.

The blonde cocked her head to the side and bit her lip, contemplating the correct answer. “Well everyone knows about you. You know, people say you’re quite beautiful.” Yeah, people… Complimenting her Regina always worked to distract her back in present day and much to Emma’s chagrin, it seemed to be working out for her now too, if the young girl’s blush was any indicator.

Figuring she could trust this new woman, Regina took Emma’s hand and allowed herself to be pulled up from the grass, promptly straightening her riding jacket to look more presentable. No matter what age, she was always painfully self-aware of her appearance. “People say that, huh? Then tell me, why have I never heard of this?”

“People are afraid of you.”

“Afraid of me? What for? I think I’m pleasant enough!”

The resulting pout from Regina was so similar to the one she’d seen on her Regina’s face only a few hours previous. Rest assured, it was still heart-melting. “Oh I can see that! I’m one of the brave ones, I suppose.”

“Yes, I suppose so...” Regina’s light chuckle sent shivers down her spine. She’d never tire of that comforting sound, but now wasn’t the time to get sappy or flirt with someone who was currently much too young for her. Emma had to figure out how to wake this part of Regina up.

“So what had you running in such a hurry anyway?”

At Emma’s question, Regina’s expression quickly became skeptical, eyes narrowing as if trying to see through the blonde. “Can you keep a secret?”

“Yeah, at least from anyone you know, I guess.”

“Right... well I was running because I have to get back to my room and get my things for tonight.” Regina leaned in close to Emma and cupped her hands around the blonde’s ear to divulge her secret plan. “I’m eloping with my fiancé.”

Shit.

Of all days, it really had to be this day? She’d already seen it once in the dreamcatcher. It was the memory tear that Regina gave up to Emma’s failed spell. Once again she was reminded that this whole thing was her fault. Regina was going through pain, lying somewhere unconscious because Emma hadn’t been upfront with what they needed.

As Emma started hard at Regina, the young girl backed away a little. “Is there a reason you’re um... sparkling like that?”

Sparkling? The blonde looked down at her hands and she was indeed sparkling. And shaking. A cursed mark of the Dark One. She had to get herself under control or she might snap. For now, she just had to focus on helping this Regina, not too much, but enough.

Forcing a smile to her face, Emma locked eyes with Regina once more, “Yeah it’s just a me thing. No worries,” she reassured, hoping she was convincing enough to be allowed to continue her talk with Regina. It would do her no good to just follow her in the shadows all day when she could take advantage and maybe learn more about the woman she’d come to admire over the years.

“If you say so.” The girl didn’t look extremely convinced but she was placated enough to come back closer to Emma. “In that case, if you’re going to be around, I might as well know your name.” This Regina was a lot more trusting than the woman who’d given her the third degree in her study mere minutes after meeting her.

“Emma, my name is Emma.”

“And I’m Regina, but I guess you knew that seeing as you know I live here.” As she spoke, Regina played with the end of her long braid, an action that Emma quickly determined she’d be filing under Cute Things Regina Does. “Would you like to help me with something? I have to get some stuff from my room and bring it back to the stable tonight, but I’ve never successfully run away before so I don’t really know what to take.”

Well now that was an area she was skilled in. “My lady, I happen to have been a professional runaway in my youth and I’ve got nothing else to do today so I’d be happy to help.” Before even asking which way to go, Emma strolled in the direction of the castle, leaving Regina to make a few long strides to catch up.

\-----

“So this Daniel guy...” Emma asked as she fiddled with an odd looking trinket Regina had just placed in her getaway bag. If she was going to be stuck here for a while, she might as well get some insight into her now younger friend. “You really like him, I guess?”

Regina laughed at that and it sounded so carefree that if Emma hadn’t been looking straight at the other woman she wouldn’t bet money it didn’t come from her. “I suppose you could say I like him, yes.” She was carefully going through her closet, trying to find the perfect outfit to run away in.

The blonde crossed the room to stand by Regina, staring wide-eyed at all the various clothing the young woman had. Really, every version of Regina must have a ridiculously large wardrobe. “And he’s nice? He loves you too?”

“I do hope so... he told me he did and I’m sure he’d never lie to me.” Regina mused, scrunching her nose at all the tight dresses her mother had gotten for her over the years. She was so engrossed in concentration that she wasn’t paying attention to just how hard her newfound pal was focusing on her. Emma was zeroing in on all of Regina’s features; they were so similar to the mayor she knew, but just... softer. Yeah, this Regina was soft.

A bottle fell out of Regina’s bag then, causing a loud crash to sound on the floor and the brunette to jump. In an instant, she’d whipped around, fearing there was some immediate threat behind her. Emma watched Regina’s expression go from calm to downright terrified in mere seconds and she clenched her fists tight because she knew exactly what her friend was afraid of: Cora Mills.

Emma was quick to try to calm Regina down again though, going over to the fallen object, picking it up, and waving it around. “Look, it’s fine. Just a bottle, no harm done, right?”

Regina only nodded, still clutching her own arm in a vice grip. Emma sighed and placed the bottle on the dresser before holding out her hand to beckon Regina over. She was pleasantly surprised when she actually relented and walked over to the outstretched hand, letting Emma guide her to sitting on the edge of her bed. The Regina she knew would’ve been much more stubborn. “You okay?”

“Yeah I’m fine, just a little spooked is all.” It was clear Regina was trying to play her anxiety off as just mere circumstance, but Emma knew better. She shouldn’t have since she was technically only a stranger to this young Regina so she decided to let it slide, but under the surface Emma was burning with questions about why Regina was so adamant to run away that night. Emma had a feeling no one had ever sat down and genuinely talked to this girl about her feelings and how to properly deal with issues, but that wasn’t her issue right then.

“If you insist..” Emma sat next to Regina, still holding her hand and running her thumb over the back of it. “So do your friends know about your dangerous eloping mission too?”

The girl stiffened and pulled her hand away. “If it wasn’t obvious, I don’t really have friends.”

“I only got to know you today, but I would’ve assumed people like you had at least a small circle of friends.”

“Do you remember earlier when you said people are afraid of me? I suppose in that case, that’s why I have no friends,” she snapped, reminding Emma so much of the Storybrooke mayor. “Now do you have any more intrusive questions or are you going to start making yourself useful?”

Ah yes, there she was. Emma was starting to think this Regina was too soft to still be the one she’d come to know and love. But now she looked at Regina and she looked so small- legs tucked under her body as she sat, intensely focused on wringing her own hands in her lap- and Emma frowned. She walked back over to Regina’s massive closet and raked her fingers over the various fabrics, but one caught her eye.

“Here, I think this is perfect.” Emma draped the light blue dress across Regina’s lap, smiling sympathetically at the confused young woman. “Anybody would be a fool not to run away with you in this.” 

\------

“This is where we say goodbye, I guess.”

Emma stopped in her tracks. “What?”

“Miss Emma, you’ve been very nice company to be today, but you can’t run off with Daniel and I,” Regina chuckled, looking around the field to see if Daniel was anywhere in sight.

Looking around, Emma saw that the sun had indeed gone completely down. It was so dark but all day she’d been focusing on Regina; she hadn’t paid attention to anything else. Her problem is she didn’t want to leave her friend. Emma knew what was going to happen- knew she was going to have to witness Regina’s pain firsthand- and she didn’t know if she could do it.

She had to though. If she were going to get her Regina back, Emma had to do this. Even if the thought made her blood boil. “Oh right. I’ll just catch up with you later then. Maybe I’ll visit that hidden cabin of yours.”

“I think I’ll end up spending a lot of time there, so you’re always welcome to visit.” As she spoke, Regina pushed a stray hair behind her ear, obviously trying to end the conversation as politely as possible.

Emma, painfully in tune to the girl’s actions, decided to let Regina go, stepping out of the way and motioning for the brunette to walk into the old wooden building. Watching her walk past her, Emma felt her heart contract for Regina as she skipped along to meet her love. She still wasn’t completely sure how this whole ‘gather memories’ thing worked so after loitering outside for a while, Emma figured it would be safer to wait and watch from inside just in case something out of the ordinary happened along the way.

Poofing herself into an empty horse stable, Emma stumbled back to the floor under the weight of her own magic. She took a moment to shake her head free and recenter herself since there didn’t seem to be too much happening yet. Apparently Emma would have to be careful not to use too much of her magic while on this venture; there was no telling when she’d lose control of this curse and she’d be damned if it was in the middle of trying to save Regina. She’d have plenty of time to fall apart later.

Careful to not make a sound, the blonde crawled to the stable door and peered at the scene through the rotted slats of wood. Regina looked so.. happy.. It was a good look on her. Excellent, actually. She wanted that look to stay forever.

That pleasant feeling was cut off, however, when a loud bang sounded from the opposite end of the barn. A sharp chill fell over the entire area, freezing Emma in her place. Cora. That woman knew how to make an entrance.

Well here we go.

The following moments happened quickly, as if Emma was watching in an extreme fast forward. She shook out of her reverie, however, when a young Daniel fell to the ground, his lifeless eyes staring straight at Emma from his place in the hay. It was haunting, really, but familiar. She studied the young man’s hollow features until something hard fell beside him to pick the dead weight from the floor.

“Daniel!”

Oh shit, Regina.

Emma had temporarily forgot about the task at hand, stunned by how immersive and real the moment felt. Then again, she didn’t really know how real this was anyway. Would Regina even remember any of this when she woke up?

More importantly, how was Emma supposed to get that tear? Regina was pressed right against the stable door which effectively prevented Emma from opening it even a crack. Even so, it’d be pretty obvious by the time Emma got so close to Regina’s face that she was very present and not long gone like the brunette had assumed.

Well, blunt and fast had always worked much better in Emma’s experience so before she even got chance to think it over again, she poofed herself from the safety of the stable and into the middle of the scene, leaning over Daniel’s dead body to press the small vial from earlier under Regina’s eye. It was the only thing she could think of doing to retrieve it. Unfortunately she hadn’t been given too much of an instruction manual and with Regina having collapsed so quickly in front of her, Emma didn’t wait to jump into the other’s subconscious.

Let’s hope this works.

For a moment, everything was still. Regina’s confused expression at Emma’s sudden appearance and Cora’s frozen stare, unmoving in the wake of Emma’s bold move. And then, just like that, Regina gave her head a good shake, looked around, glanced down and jumped back into the stable door as if she’d just gotten the fright of her life. Technically she had, but this was different.

“Emma...”

She didn’t know what had compelled her, she couldn’t explain it, but even before her name fully left Regina’s lips, Emma was ready and waiting, pulling Regina away from her fiancé and instead tighter against her. “I’m here.”

“God, I want to get out of here right now.”

“I’m not sure we can. Everything looks...still.” The scene around the two was still very much set in place, even Daniel’s body holding a weird upright position from when Regina had been clinging for dear life.

Regina nodded somberly, eyes glued to the young man she once loved. “I really don’t want to be here anymore. I-” A chilled hand was placed over her face, effectively blocking everything from Regina’s view.

“Shh, we’re fine.”

And as Emma held the brunette close against her chest, she could only hope that she was right for once.


	3. Nuisance

Damn, more dirt. And trees. Wait...

 

Camelot??

 

It sure did look like it, but upon looking through the mossy forest she noticed a familiar flyer out of the corner of her eye. “Wanted for High Treason,” the poster read, her mother’s face painted in that old-fashioned mugshot. So it was time to meet the Queen again.

 

“As if I didn’t know how much of a pain she already was. What could she possibly have to cry about right now?”

 

Whatever it was, Emma was pretty much bound to finding the Queen and aiding her. Regina wouldn’t be new to magic at this point, she could probably just think of her and transport right to where she was. Carefully, of course.

 

Emma stood in the forest, eyes screwed shut and fingers curling tight into her palms, trying to envision the feared Evil Queen. She thought of her long, dark hair that was always styled in one ridiculous way or another, her beautifully made-up face with every feature perfectly set even when she was scowling, and of course the trademark Queenly feature of Regina’s that Emma certainly didn’t mind, that delightful cleavage on display.

 

A rush of cold air whistling through her hair and ears alerted the blonde to a change in venue, but she was disappointed to find that upon opening her eyes it looks like she had just managed to move herself into a different part of the confusing foliage. At least she was by a road now, maybe she could ask someone how to get to the Queen’s castle- as if anyone would tell her.

 

While contemplating though, an odd tingle ran through Emma. It was similar to times she felt right before Regina walked into a room, but that couldn’t be. There was no one around- oh.

 

An over-dramatic black carriage trotted down the road and as it passed Emma she caught a glimpse of Regina’s profile through the semi-tinted oval window, but she was frozen in place. She couldn’t just follow a vehicle, who knew when it would stop? But it wasn’t like Emma didn’t have another plan so she waited another few minutes until the carriage was just out of view before following behind, hopefully hidden enough amongst the trees so that none of the guards or, heaven forbid, Regina caught sight of her.

 

This little trek went for a while, minimum an hour by Emma’s count, and she was growing quite irritated. Where exactly was she going that took so long to get to? It was going to be dark soon, surely Regina would have just magicked herself home if she’d seen it taking this long; that woman was not patient in the slightest. While Emma waited for the carriage to go out of sight again, she pondered on how it had to look back in Camelot. Technically they were still lying on the floor in their tower, sprawled out amongst the books. If Henry found them, surely he’d try to get them to a comfier surface, knowing how much Emma and Regina enjoyed leisure even though Regina would vehemently deny it whenever asked. She missed spending time with her kid. Too many things had been going on lately and she always felt like she took advantage of Henry’s independent nature to justify not hanging out with him anymore. Regina too, they used to at the very least talk like normal friends, but now everything was about fixing this curse.

 

“When I get out of here, I’ve got to do something with those two. Like a family.” That is, if Regina would ever let Emma around her or Henry again after this debacle. It was all her fault, she reminded herself as a wave of self-deprecating pain washed over her.

 

Just as she was about to stomp off to go find something to take her anger out on, that silly carriage passed by once again, but this time it stopped. Emma knew better than to try to run-- that would just make her look more suspicious. No, she just stood in place like the fool she was and awaited whatever would pop out from behind that small door.

 

As expected, the Evil Queen in all her dramatic glory emerged only a moment later, dark eyes zeroed in on her new prey: Emma. “You there, you’ve been following me.”

 

Emma remained stock still while Regina approached. She wanted to be careful around this version of her friend; being the current Dark One, Emma would be able to take Regina if need be, but she wasn’t too sure how her magic affected everything here and the last thing she wanted was to inflict permanent damage as she so often did when she let herself get out of control. So for the time being, she held her tongue and offered a simple, “No.”

 

“No?”

 

“Yes, that’s what I said.”

 

“Have you not been walking along the same path as I for more than an hour now?”

 

The Queen came to what was probably within inappropriate proximity to Emma’s face and held the blonde’s chin in her gloved hand. “I’m not a fool, you know.”

 

Damn it. Emma couldn’t think when Regina was this close, never could. Even when she’d first met the fearsome mayor on her doorstep. She had this intoxicating nature about her that was always most potent when she was close and determined.

 

“What did you just say?”

 

Eyes wide with confusion, Emma shook her head as much as possible in the woman’s now vice grip. “What?”

 

“Are you completely incompetent? First you follow my carriage and now you can’t speak coherently?” Regina was clearly already mad at something else non-Emma related. Her shaking hands, one balled at her waist and the other seemingly crushing Emma’s jaw alerted the younger woman that she just needed something to take her frustrations out on. Whatever it was, if Regina needed a punching bag, for the time being Emma would let it be her. It was always best to just stay out of her way and let her get it out.

 

“I apologize, my Queen.” A silent shiver ran down her spine as she muttered those words; it was certainly not something she’d ever imagined having to seriously say to Regina, at least not in this context. “I did not mean to take up your time. I was simply strolling through and used your carriage as silent company while I traveled.” Not a complete lie, but Emma definitely wasn’t just taking an evening stroll.

 

It took a minute, but after searching every inch of Emma’s dulled green eyes, Regina must have found her answer satisfactory because she released her hold on Emma completely and took a few steps back. Brushing off any speck of dirt that might have gotten on her outfit in true hardass Regina fashion, Emma had to stifle a giggle before the Queen looked her way again. Under all that hair and makeup, there was her Regina fussy as always.

 

“Yes well, you’re lucky it’s almost dark and I have other matters to attend to. For today and only today,” she stressed, as if she dreaded having to see Emma on this path again, “I’ll allow you travel on this road.”

 

“Thank you, your-”

 

“If I see you again, I won’t hesitate to physically throw you off of it.” Ah, okay. There she was.

 

“Understood.”

 

Emma watched Regina walk away, but quickly noticed that the heels and outfit that she was wearing were not meant for walking through the grass she’d so hastily walked through to get to the blonde. She assumed that if it were earlier in the day, she wouldn’t be seeing the Queen nearly stumble through the damp terrain, but it was late and getting darker by the moment. The least she could do was help.

 

“Oh, hold on. Wait!” Regina froze at Emma’s words, and she wasn’t sure why. Something in her told her to just let it happen.

 

As Emma sprinted over to Regina, she made her to round her so that she could make eye contact. That was always important when trying to get Regina to comply and listen to reason. “Let me help you back to your carriage. You’re not exactly dressed for dirt and twigs.”

 

Regina cocked her head to the side (much like Henry does sometimes, that must be where he got it from) and gave Emma an inquisitive look, as if she was judging the danger. “Why?”

 

“Well, you were so gracious to allow me to walk this lovely road,” That’s right, Emma, play it up. Make her think she’s getting the advantage. “So the least I can do is assist you in returning to your vehicle.” She held out her arms to show she wasn’t hiding a threat.

 

“Fine,” Regina sighed, as if it’d be a chore to let herself be helped.

 

A small smile spread across Emma’s face, and she leaned in as soon as she got affirmation, scooping up Regina into strong arms.

 

“What are you doing?!” Immediately Regina struggled, arms and legs flailing and nearly hitting Emma in the face.

 

“If you don’t stop moving, I’ll drop you.” Emma rolled her eyes and tried her best to navigate the earth under her, even with a wiggling woman in her grasp. Truly the last thing she wanted to do was drop Regina; if she ended up remembering, she’d never hear the end of it. “You don’t want that, do you?”

 

Judging the short distance they now had from their position to her carriage, Regina decided to still, in favor of crossing her arms and pouting, cheeks slightly puffed out. Emma couldn’t help it, she just had to laugh. Regina was too cute for her own good sometimes, but she’d never admit it in fear of a fireball to the face. “What’s so funny?”

 

“Nothing, just a cute chipmunk.” She said as they reached the carriage and she placed Regina on the narrow step to allow her into the thing. “There we go, safe and unharmed.”

 

“Do not mock me, peasant. I can still revoke my offer.”

 

“Don’t get all worked up now. You’re in, I’ve delivered you safely and now I’m leaving, alright?” Gosh Regina could be annoying when she was like this.

 

With a huff, the brunette waved her hand to slam her door shut which in turn knocked Emma off her perch on the carriage ledge. “Hey!”

 

And as the carriage rode off, Emma could see the hint of a smile from Regina’s dark lips at her little stunt. “What a bitch.”

 

But Emma hadn’t actually completed her mission. She was supposed to stay with her and now if she caught up with her again it’d be too suspicious... Maybe she’d just pay a visit to her beloved Queen Regina in her castle. Yeah, she could do that. She knew what the castle looked like. Kinda. It was worth a try.

 

Envisioning the dark castle walls, Regina’s heavily oversized mirror, the weirdly ominous open wall where she’d heard Regina liked to sit from time to time, Emma was quickly transported into the palace.

 

“Okay, but which part?” As she looked around, Emma realized she’d never been to this part of the castle before. It looked oddly... personal. There were any guards, that’s for sure. A velvet chaise and what she could only assume was Regina’s vanity adorned the large space along with many other items and shelves that Emma was inclined to touch. If she had to guess it looked like she’d inadvertently magicked herself into Regina’s private chambers and while that might have been a huge terror for some, it intrigued Emma even more. As long as the Queen wasn’t home, the blonde decided she’d just take a moment to look around.

 

My Regina wouldn’t mind if she were here (she would), she reasoned to herself as she gravitated to the many potions laid out across a large wall.

\----

 

“Give me one reason why I shouldn’t throw you out, or better yet kill you right now?”

 

It had been hours since Emma had seen Regina and even rooting through her stuff had gotten increasingly boring. She couldn’t read most of the books for they weren’t in a language she understood and she realized after a while that smelling all of Regina’s perfumes was a tad bit creepy. So there she was, relaxed on the chaise, wishing she had a grilled cheese or at least some sort of sustenance.

 

Emma used enough muscle to just barely raise her head and open her eyes to the sight of a very pissed off Evil Queen, an ominous purple ball of smoke in her hand. That was new. “Um, because I’m cute?”

 

“Wrong.”

 

“Okay well maybe because you’re bored?”

 

“Bored? Ha.” And before Emma could stop her, she found herself sinking into a nearby swamp. Eventually bobbing up to the surface, the now drenched blonde scowled. Alright, of course this Regina would be difficult. She was always difficult.

 

With a wave of her hand, Emma reappeared within the castle walls, apparently starling Regina quite a bit because she jumped backwards into her bookshelves.

 

“You have magic? What are you??”

 

“Well I’m the Dark One.” Emma flashed a trademark smile, one that she knew for a fact always got Regina to soften up at least a little bit.

 

“Impossible.” Like clockwork, the smile relaxed Regina a tad. That or she was just curious as to why a stranger was all of a sudden being so bold with her today. “Trust me, I know the true Dark One and he is… much less desirable.”

 

“Oh so I’m desirable?”

 

Regina rolled her eyes. “Not the point. Why are you lying to me?”

 

She had to ponder for a while, but Emma was sure she could at least try being honest with this version of Regina. This version understood magic- maybe she could even help her understand the issue at hand? “I’m not lying, listen there’s just a lot of stuff and ugh... Regina, I need you to cry for me.”

 

“Excuse me?” Again the Queen stepped a few feet closer, as if being close to the intruder would suddenly intimidate her more.

 

“Cry. Future you needs it.” That... was not explained well.

 

All of Emma’s stalling and bad explaining was really wearing on Regina’s nerves and she just... didn’t have time. “I have bigger things to deal with than you and your odd requests. Leave. Now.”

 

“I can’t.”

 

“You can’t?”

 

“It’s really hard to explain, Regina, but-”

 

“Don’t call me that! Have you no respect to even address your Queen properly?”

 

“Oh I- sorry. But listen, I really can’t leave you. It’s fairly complicated, but sooner or later, I’ll get what I want anyway. I’m just going to have to be with you until you cry.” Unfortunately that part was wholly true. Emma still didn’t know what event in Regina’s life she was dealing with. The book never made it clear how long you had to stay with the person until the event happens- there was no time span.

 

Regina pinched the bridge of her nose and was about to say something when footsteps sounded from behind them. “At least get out of sight. Just... go.” She made like she was pushing the strange woman and Emma was subsequently shoved into a closet. Why did she always have to watch these things through cracks and corners?

 

“Hello, Daddy.”

 

Oh. Oh no. Not this.

 

Emma was so sure the Daniel thing had to be the worst thing she could see on this journey, but it seemed not. Regina was going to kill her later for this. If she really had to watch Regina kill her own father? Sure it was a painful memory, but did Emma’s wish really take that pain from her?

 

“I just want to be happy,” a lone voice in the distance spoke, sounding so small in the large room. If only Emma could tell this Regina that one day she would be happy, but she couldn’t. Her Regina wouldn’t be happy if she hadn’t sacrificed this.

 

As Emma saw the Queen turn, a bright red heart pulsating in her hands, she couldn’t tear her eyes away from the way Regina held it. Over the years Emma had seen Regina hold multiple hearts (unfortunately) but she’d never seen her take such care in holding it. It was as if the organ contained everything she held dear in the universe, and she surmised that at this point, it was in fact the only thing the brunette loved. To sacrifice the only person who truly loved her unconditionally in the name of a happy ending was... disturbing. But then again, as an orphan there were many times in which Emma would have given anything for just one good day. Regina had survived so much for so long, and even now she still faced challenges and prejudices daily, but she powered on. One of the many things she loved about Regina.

 

When a booming thud reached Emma’s ears, her eyes shot back to Regina who was now kneeling on her chaise, still staring at that heart. “What am I going to do... I’m so sorry, Daddy...”

 

Her sobs pierced Emma’s own heart and once again that odd thrumming swept through her and she had no choice but to creep closer to the weeping woman just to lessen the pounding she could hear behind her ears. She placed her hands on velvet-covered legs, running her thumb over Regina’s knee and hoping she didn’t immediately get shoved away. “I know it really hurts and I’m so sorry. I wish you’d believe me when I said so many people love and care for you now...”

 

“What...” Pained eyes met Emma’s somber ones and Regina, instead of moving away, leaned closer into the small touch this stranger was offering.

 

“I’m sorry, but I need this.” Swiftly gathering the tear into her vial before more questions could be asked, Emma sat back and waited for her to snap out of it.

 

It was fascinating to watch the visible transformation in Regina as she came to. Her shoulders slouched just a little, her jaw relaxed, and her face pinked as if she was coming to life. Her Regina was back. “Emma...”

 

Regina dropped the heart in her hands and fell forward off the chaise and into Emma. They both fell to the floor, the pale blonde collapsing under the sudden weight of a heavy body. “Woah, I’ve got you.” Pushing Regina back up for a moment to get herself back into a sitting position, Emma rested her back against the edge of the chaise and pulled Regina back tight against her. “You’re fine.”

 

The woman continued to cry, probably squeezing Emma tighter than she should have, but she didn’t care. She didn’t want to do this anymore. “How long until you’re out of my head. I… miss you.”

 

Missed me? In what universe did Regina Mills miss Emma Swan? “I’m trying Regina, really I am. I miss you too.” She rubbed small circles into Regina’s back in hopes of soothing her even a slight bit. How many memories would they have to get through before they could wake up? However many, Emma had already decided that her and Regina would have to have a talk. They’ve no doubt been going through some things lately and it was probably about time she was upfront about her feelings. The last thing she wanted was to cause this beautiful woman any more pain.

 

“You can’t miss me,” Emma laughed into the many waves of Regina’s hair, allowing herself the comfort of breathing in her perfume. “You’re not awake.”

 

Regina pulled away to stare at Emma, brushing a chilled hand across her pale cheek. She leaned in and pressed a slow kiss to Emma’s lips. “Well hurry up and wake me up so I can properly miss you, Savior.”

 

And in that moment, Emma knew her fate was sealed. She’d never give her Regina up. No matter how long it took to wake her. “You’ll never miss me again when we’re back. I promise.”

  
  



	4. Single Parent Household

Oh boy, hard floors. What a twist.

 

Once again Emma opened her eyes cautiously, having learned by now that she could wake up in any setting. This though was achingly familiar: Regina’s study. But she didn’t know when it was... if this was before she came to town then she still wouldn’t know who Emma was, and if by some miracle this memory was in the past five years, she’d still have to explain why she was in Regina’s house.

 

A loud clatter of pots and pans erupted from the other side of the house as Emma thought through her plan and like it was instinct she crept across the foyer to make sure Regina was alright.

 

“Henry Daniel Mills, what do you think you’re doing!”

 

“Mama I’m baking! Like you!” Henry is standing on the kitchen counter, a bag of flour collapsed on the floor which is making a huge, white mess everywhere. His face was definitely one of slight fear, knowing he’d been caught in the act.

 

Regina went to pick her son up from the counter, dusting him off as best as possible. “You could’ve hurt yourself, silly boy. Next time ask me and we can bake together.” Henry was so small; he couldn’t have been more than five here.

 

“Oh but I wanted to surprise you, you’re always so busy and I thought maybe if I made you a sweet you’d sit and play with me!” The heartfelt confession broke Emma’s heart and in glancing over at Regina who was now leaning against the counter with Henry planted on her hip, she could see that hers was too. Regina had mentioned multiple times during her and Emma’s talks over evening wine and beer that she struggled a bit in being a single mother. There were many times she wished she could stay and play with her son, but work had called her away and being the mayor meant having to give up precious bonding moments.

 

“Mama?” Henry was patting his chubby little, flour-coated hand on his mother’s cheek, something Emma was so sure Regina was resisting curling away from. “Are you mad at me?”

 

Emma saw Regina’s contemplative face melt into the softest expression she’s ever seen, only reserved for Henry even after all these years. “No, my love. I could never be mad at you, I just want you to be safe. What if something had fallen on you?”

 

“Then you would’ve saved me!” Henry brought his other hand to hold the other side of Regina’s face, effectively covering her in powder. “My mom would never let anything bad happen to me!” He giggled, squishing his mother’s cheeks and kissing her nose.

 

“That’s right, never.” Regina used her free hand to cup Henry’s chin, returning his kiss with her own to his tiny cheek.

 

“We can do whatever you want to today, I promise. No interruptions.”

 

Henry’s bright eyes lit up at his mother’s words and he immediately began wiggling in excitement. “Promise, mama?”

 

“Yes, absolutely.”

 

With her confirmation, Henry’s face turned more serious, a look Emma would swear was pure Regina, and stared straight at the older woman. “We have to make apple pancakes. Then we’re building a fort.”

 

“My my, so demanding. Who’s to say I even have apples?”

 

“You always have some! They’re on the tree!” Henry managed to wiggle out of Regina’s arms and sprinted out in the direction of the back door before his mother could stop him. Thankfully the door was in the opposite direction of where Emma was currently sitting behind the door and she could breathe for a minute as Regina ran outside after her energetic son.

 

Emma knew it would be bad to interrupt their moment, also it would look outrageously creepy to just be a woman who shows up in Regina’s house. Another concern was that Emma would be a complete stranger around her son and if there was one thing everybody knew about Regina is that she doesn’t let just anyone around her son. She didn’t know how bitter and snarky Regina actually was at this point in time either; she would never show any animosity to Henry no matter how mad she was internally. This Regina was obviously just more put together than she had been when Emma met her teenage form, but Emma was sure this woman was still guarded and hostile as she was when Emma first met her.

 

With one last glance out of the kitchen window, Emma could see Regina lifting Henry up to reach a bright red apple on her beloved tree. Sometimes she wished she could’ve shared this time with them, but she was grateful to have the time she had with the two now. They’d become her family over the years, Regina more recently given her prickly nature, but after that kiss... they’d have to talk about that. The one thing Emma was sure of though was that if she had any say, she’d be getting many more of those in the near future.

 

Before she could risk being found, Emma wandered her way up to the second floor and hid within the confines of Regina’s bedroom, figuring that was a safe space for now. If Regina was going to be with Henry, she’d have no reason to be up here for a while at least.

 

The pitter patter of little feet had Emma ducking under the bed just in case the toddler happened to enter looking for something. Thankfully he was only going into his own room, obviously struggling with carrying everything he needed. Emma presumed he was getting things for the aforementioned fort; before this whole Dark One mess, Henry had invited Emma to come play video games while Regina was away and when she’d arrived, she was met with a large fort in the middle of the living room. Although she was so sure Regina would throw a fit when she saw it later, once she was home she simply sat in between her and Henry and started chatting about her day. It was like an alternate universe, really. When was Regina ever okay with a large mess? Apparently when it was their son who made it.

 

Soon the sweet smell of Regina’s special apple pancakes had made its way to the upper level and Emma realized just how much she missed home-cooked food. Really her appetite had decreased, much to her chagrin, but since she’d been struck with this curse, Emma hadn’t had much of a chance to sit and eat anyway. But those pancakes...

 

Emma had to fight with all she had not to try and magically poof one into her hands: she had a mission and unfortunately, that didn’t include pancakes. Channeling as much magic as she felt like she could control at the moment, Emma conjured a looking glass that would allow her to see her family’s activities through the mirror in the living room- a little trick Regina had taught her in the past year after Emma had won a bet.

 

Through the oval she could see Henry hurriedly tossing blankets over the fort he’d make with the couch and its cushions, bouncing excitedly as Regina came into view with her stack of pancakes for the both of them. She set them on the table, got a seat on one of the flattened cushions and Henry wasted no time in planting himself in his mother’s lap to wait for his breakfast treat.

 

She could have watched them all day and for a few hours, that’s what she did. Emma watched the two play and enjoy one another’s company until Regina’s phone (a hilariously old BlackBerry Emma would make sure to tease Regina about later) rang from behind her.

 

The brunette glanced at the phone and quickly picked it up once she saw who it was, her voice immediately switched to the fake politeness Emma had so despised when she first met the mayor. “No, yes, I understand. I’ll be right over.”

 

As Regina talked, Henry had stopped his coloring of what Emma could only assume was a purple dragon to look at his mother. Even at five, he knew what her call meant and Emma’s heart broke at the tears already welling up in his small eyes.

 

Once Regina got off the phone, she leaned over to touch Henry’s head, but was met with a surprising level of rejection. “You promised...”

 

“I know, sweetheart, but I promise I’ll be very quick. Only a few hours-”

 

“No promises! You always break them!”

 

“But you know I have to go to work so we can be happy and I can get you nice things that you ask for!”

 

“You just don’t love me enough! Real moms never want to leave their kids!” Henry ran away as fast as his little feet would take him upstairs, even startling Emma as she heard the door slam against the threshold down the hall.

 

Looking back to Regina through the mirror, she saw the clear hurt through her entire expression, but to Emma’s surprise there were no tears. What else would make Regina cry now if not for Henry? While she was lost in thought though, she heard another set of feet walking up the stairs and now closing in on Emma’s hideout.

 

Regina’s room. Emma was still sitting in her room. She had to hide elsewhere. Emma frantically searched for somewhere else to be and with the mere seconds she had left, she could only squeeze herself under the bed and hope Regina didn’t notice.

 

The door to the master bedroom opened and Emma held her breath as she waited for Regina to possibly see anything out of place. Thankfully, she was too upset to even look around much and she was on the phone. “Yes? Graham? Do you think you could look after Henry for a few hours...”

 

Damn, Emma had kind of forgotten about Graham still existing. It seemed Regina was always looking to sheriffs to help her out, she thought to herself, laughing a little.

 

After Regina had gotten everything settled with the sheriff, she went further into the room, presumably into her closet because a few moments later, from what Emma could see from her place on the ground, she’d changed relaxed pajamas into her typical mayoral dress: tasteful, but ready to kill any weaklings.

 

A knock from downstairs at the door finally got Regina out of the room and Emma was able to shimmy herself from under the bed once more. It must have been Graham at the door because Regina could be heard on the stairs calling an “I’ll be back later, Henry,” to her son, but she only received a bratty, “Go away!” in response. At least he hadn’t started running away from her yet it seemed.

 

So Henry was safe and Regina was gone... what kind of memory is this? She just wanted to get that stupid tear and get home, damn it. Also she had to find Regina because she had no idea where she was supposed to go now that she’d been called into work. Figuring Town Hall was her safest bet, Emma got out of 108 Mifflin the way she always did when she wanted to be stealthy and anger Regina in the process: crawling out of a second story window. The tree by this window made it significantly easier and Emma was grateful that for the last few feet, a bush was there to cushion her fall. Now she just had to get to the office.

 

Assuming everything was where it has always been, Emma decided to walk herself across town. She didn’t need magic to travel across the place she’d come to call home over the past few years. Walking through town however was quite more eerie than expected, and Emma guessed that it was because she’d gone off course of Regina’s memory. She didn’t remember every townsperson’s acts that day, so instead they just stood stagnant on the street like wax figures.

 

Once she’d finally reached the office, Emma pulled open the familiar front doors and sat down in one of the hallway chairs. According to Regina, there hadn’t been too many people who came on a whim to visit her and seeing as this was a day the Mayor was supposed to be off work anyway, there’d be no harm in sitting and waiting to see how Regina’s day unfolded.

 

As the hours passed, even Emma herself was falling asleep instead of listening as she should have been. Whatever group of people Regina was talking to had about as stubborn of a stance as Emma did when anyone told her to eat a vegetable. When it got to be nine in the afternoon however, Regina could be heard shouting that she didn’t have time to negotiate anymore and gave an ultimatum. They must have agreed because from the quiet of the room, it seemed like everyone was packing up.

 

Regina walked out of her office with the men, not bothering to hide the perturbed expression on her face. She’d spent four hours arguing with nutjobs and now had to go home to what was probably an equally perturbed and disappointed little boy. Even pissed off though, Emma couldn’t help but stare at the woman for a bit. She was so beautiful and it’d been a while since she’d seen Regina with her short hair; her long hair was still nice though, it was something for Emma to run her fingers through.

 

“You. I don’t know who you are or what issue you have, but you need to leave.”

 

The mayor’s pointed stare was directed right at Emma and the blonde scrambled to leap from her chair and nod nervously. She was so cute when she was angry. “Y-Yeah, of course.” Quickly, Emma backed down the hall and out the back door before Regina could ask her anymore questions. She wasn’t supposed to be seen this time. More importantly, why was Regina always telling Emma to leave? She was beginning to think younger Regina was the only immediately welcoming version the woman had.

 

Emma thought it was probably best to just magic herself back to the house instead of risking running into Regina again. Assuming her earlier position of staring at the living room through the looking glass from Regina’s bedroom, Emma could see the now wrecked fort from earlier, just a pile of lumpy pillows, cushions, and blankets, but amongst them was a sleeping Henry Mills and an equally exhausted looking Graham in the opposite corner of the room. She wasn’t sure what had occurred while his moms were gone, but it looked like he gave the sheriff a run for his money in the patience department today.

 

A few minutes later, Regina walked through the door and as Graham called out their position, the tired brunette came into view. Emma listened to the two’s conversation about Henry’s apparent tantrum and right before Regina waved him off for the night, Graham placed a small kiss to the corner of Regina’s mouth. “Goodnight, Regina.”

 

The touch made something within Emma light up in rage and... jealousy? No, she refused to be jealous of Graham. Even though he was clearly coming in contact with her more intimately than Emma would have liked...

 

Thankfully, he retreated and Regina was left alone with her sleeping son once again. Kicking off her heels to a corner so she was a few inches shorter, the woman knelt on the floor next to Henry and gently ran her manicured fingers through his short hair. “I’m back, Henry...”

 

“Mama?” He opened his sleepy eyes to see his mother and immediately closed them again, but reached his arms out towards her. And of course without hesitation, Regina pulled him towards her and cradled him against her body. “I’m sorry I yelled at you...” He balled his fists in his mother’s silk shirt, clinging to him as if he was scared Regina would leave again. “I know you love me.”

 

“Of course I love you. I’ll always love you.” Regina started to slowly rock her body to and fro, lulling Henry back to sleep slowly. “And I forgive you. Working today was not nearly as much fun as playing pretend with you today. Next time I’ll know better.”

 

Henry nodded against Regina’s chest, snuggling in safe. “I love you too, even when you work or I’m mad.”

 

And Regina’s face, oh Regina. Emma could actually feel all of the emotions running through the woman in that moment. Relief that she was forgiven, joy that she was finally home, but most of all overwhelming and unadulterated love for her son. Then the tears. She was finally crying, not because she was upset, but because she was happy and she knew she’d never trade this for anything. She’d fight her entire life to keep her little family safe, no matter what.

 

Emma took a chance and summoned one of Regina’s falling tears into the vial in her jeans pocket and was pleasantly surprised when it worked. She knew Regina would come to in a matter of seconds, but she also knew that being vulnerable in front of another person was the one thing Regina hated above anything else.

 

“I know you’re watching me from that mirror, Emma.” Well, okay.

 

Appearing in front of a sitting Regina, Emma quickly righted her position so she was sitting next to the woman. She still had Henry on her lap, so she was reluctant to move but held out her free hand for Emma to hold anyway. “I wasn’t always the best parent to Henry, but he still loved me. Amongst all the bad memories that put up my walls, it’s also the bittersweet ones like this that push me forward to be a better person.” Breaking eye contact with the curious blonde to glance back down at her son’s stilled figure, Regina sighed. “I wouldn’t trade the times Henry was upset with me for anything because he made me a little better everyday.”

 

“You did your best, Regina. I would’ve killed to have a mother like you when I was growing up.” Emma held Regina’s hand in her own, rubbing the back of it soothingly before bringing it to her lips and kissing her palm. “How are you feeling?”

 

Looking at her hand under Emma’s care, Regina’s blush crept up her neck and she forced herself to look away again. “I would say I want to sleep, but something tells me I’ll be done with that when you’ve finished doing whatever you’re doing inside my conscience currently.” Emma pulled Regina to her which removed Henry from the other’s lap, but the younger woman just had an overwhelming need to hold her. “I feel like we need to talk about this. Us. Are you done this yet?”

 

“Almost done, pretty lady.” Pressing kisses from Regina’s ear down to her mouth, covering where Graham had kissed her earlier, Emma laughed and nodded. “I’ll see you as soon as I can.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm incapable of writing a fic that doesn't include RegalBeliever and I'm okay with that :3


	5. Loved

Emma had never been happier to wake up on a stone floor in her life.

 

Sitting up and rubbing the back of her head, she instantly squeezed the motionless hand in her own. “Regina?”

 

She still looked just as lifeless as she had when Emma had first gone under, but the vial! Emma hadn’t given her the tears yet. Emma pulled the small bottle out of her cloak and stared at it. If this didn’t work, she would not only be at a loss for what to do, but she wouldn’t have Regina to guide her. Gods, please let this work.

 

Uncorking the bottle was easy, but Emma hesitated over Regina’s body. Was she supposed to shove it down her throat or? Well, it was probably her best shot. Emma tipped the bottle so the liquid poured through Regina’s slightly parted lips and then she waited. She shifted so Regina’s head was in her lap and brushed her long dark hair through her fingers as she waited. Emma didn’t know if it was more for Regina’s comfort or her own, but either way, she just let it happen.

 

“You know, if you remember this, I hope I didn’t fuck up too much of your memories, you know? It’d be a shame if you remember a cute blonde you were probably tempted to run away with instead of your fiancé.” Emma chuckled, her fingers having migrated to stroking Regina’s cheek. “I’m sorry I caused you this much trouble, really I am. I know I’m not in control of my magic, but I am trying. The last thing I wanted to do was hurt anyone, especially you or Henry, and I ended up hurting you two the most so I’m sorry.”

 

“Emma..”

 

Her hand stilled on Regina’s face and she looked down to seen brown eyes fluttering open. “Regina?” She asked cautiously, not sure what state she’d be in.

 

“Kindly unhand me.” Her expression was not one of joy or relief, but pain and... was that doubt?

 

Nevertheless, Emma complied and allowed Regina to sit up, scooting a few feet back to give her some space. “Listen, like I said. I’m really sorry-”

 

The brunette held her head and tested her limb movement before breathing a deep sigh. “Leave.”

 

“What?”

 

“You heard me. Leave, go, get out.” Regina was using that serious tone of voice reserved for times when she’d tolerate no arguing with her. “You’ve done enough for a lifetime so just... leave me alone now.” and for some reason unknown to Emma, Regina refused to make eye contact with the blonde, instead focusing on one of the table legs across the room.

 

After all that, she was just being dismissed? Thrown out like some common fool? “Regina, come on. We need to at least talk about this.”

 

“You want to talk?” Regina stood up, tired of being on the floor for so long. She busied herself with her hair, her dress, anything that kept her from having to spare a glance at the woman now standing just the slightest bit too close to her. “Let’s talk about how you broke our son’s heart on purpose? And in the process sent me into some magical coma? How you had to come rescue me because why? You wanted to feel better about screwing up so terribly?”

 

Regina paced around the room as she ranted and Emma just stood there, knowing she deserved it for all she’d done in the past few days. She wanted to respond, really she did. She wanted to hold Regina and pour out all of her feelings, but she could tell Regina wasn’t ready for that. If Emma wanted to do this right, she’d have to wait. She knew Regina felt what she did, she had to. After all, she was the one who kissed her first!

 

“Why are you still standing there? I said get out, Miss Swan!” And with a blast of magic Emma supposed she could have deflected if she’d felt up to it, Regina shoved Emma out of their makeshift hideout, slamming the door shut behind her.

 

Well that went well. Who wakes up from days of sleep and immediately starts shouting? Regina Mills, that’s who.

 

\---

 

It’d been a week. Emma had actually managed to give Regina an entire week without talking, speaking, or even making eye contact with her. The first few days she’d tried chasing after Regina if she saw her in a hallway or in her room, but as soon as the brunette caught sight of Emma she disappeared in a cloud of purple smoke. Emma was beginning to hate the color purple.

 

It was only when she’d gone her 8th day of Regina isolation that Henry felt bad enough to go talk to his mother. “Hey Ma, still sulking?” He asked as he plopped down next to Emma.

 

“I’m not trying to sulk! I’m really trying to say something to her or explain but that stubborn bit-” Emma had to stop herself, remembering who she was talking to, “-your wonderfully complex mother refuses to give me a second to talk.I don’t know what to do, kid.”

 

Henry didn’t like seeing his moms fight, especially after they started so obviously caring for one another. But because of that, it was like they started pushing one another away. Idiots. “I can get her to talk to you. Promise to be honest though. None of that ‘I was just being the Saviour, it didn’t mean anything special’ bullshit.”

 

“Henry! Language!” Emma looked around frantically, scared Regina might pop in just to reprimand them both.

 

“Hey, I got that word from mom! And besides, you both know I know what curse words are.” He shook his head and placed a hand on Emma’s shoulder. “Look, I don’t know what happened between you two in the past couple days, but I do know you both like one another. Mom’s just... well you know Mom, she gets scared. You have to be upfront with her because I’m sure she thinks you don’t want to be around her so she’s shutting you out first. Don’t let her do that.”

 

Emma pulled Henry in and laid her head on his own, blonde hair tickling the back of her son’s neck. “How’d you get so smart? You know, I just saw you at about five years old and you were chocked full of unconditional love, not knowledge. Stop growing up.”

 

Henry only laughed and allowed Emma to hug him. “No can do, Ma. And I still love you both, don’t worry.”

 

“Yeah well I hope that love is enough to get Regina to talk to me. How are you going to swing that anyway?”

 

“Oh please, she loves me.” He bragged, shaking his head as he jumped out of his mother’s gentle hold. “It’ll be a piece of cake.”

 

Emma nodded knowingly. Any request from Henry would be met by Regina, she can never say no to that kid. “Fine, ask her to meet me tonight, I guess.”

 

“Sure thing!” Right before he left through the door, Henry turned back to smirk at his mother. “And try not to screw it up, okay? I need both of my moms happy.”

 

\---

 

“Mom?”

 

Regina was busy shuffling through the books she’d accumulated in her time at the castle. She didn’t have any reason to, but the person she usually hung out with was Emma and well... that ship had sailed. Lately she’d been making excuses for her absence saying she didn’t feel well or that she was just plain tired, but she knew everyone could tell she was lying and too afraid to call her out on it. “Yes, Henry. What is it?”

 

He approached her with a smile he knew would soften her up a little bit and moved in to hug her securely. “Oh nothing, just making sure you were okay.”

 

“I’m fine, don’t worry about me. I told you I wasn’t feeling well.”

 

“You haven’t been feeling well since Emma woke you up.” At the mention of the blonde’s name, Regina immediately stiffened and pulled away from her son, suddenly needing space.

 

“Yes well, it’s been a lot to deal with.”

 

“I think you just don’t want to talk to Emma.”

 

“Henry, that’s ridiculous. If I had a problem with Miss Swan, I’d tell her.”

 

“Mom, it’s Emma, not Miss Swan. You know she hates that.”

 

Regina huffed and fell into her chair, crossing her arms like a stubborn child. “I don’t know what you want me to talk about. If she really wanted to speak with me, she would have done so by now.”

 

“You won’t give her the chance to talk to you and you know it. Everyone’s seen you avoiding her like the plague.” Going to sit on the arm of his mother’s chair, Henry placed a hand on Regina’s head and patted it, much like he had when he was a child. “What are you so afraid of?”

 

“I refuse to talk through these matters with my son. It’s wholly inappropriate.” Receiving only a knowing look from Henry, Regina decided she might as well relent. That kid knew too much. “Fine.”

 

“When Emma was going through my memories, she saw some pretty intimate things from my past. Things I don’t think I’ve ever shared with someone before. So when I woke up and she was just there... not running away well, I got scared. I thought she was going to make us talk about things or want explanations and I don’t know if I’m ready for that.” Regina hung her head almost in shame; she knew she was being irrational, but she always had the innate need to protect herself. Emma getting past those walls so effortlessly wasn’t anything she was used to.

 

“I’m scared that if I let her in, she’ll realize I’m not nearly as put together as I thought and I- why am I telling you this?” The woman shot out of her chair and propped herself against the edge of the table, sighing deeply. “You’re too young for this kind of talk.”

 

“You know who’s not too young to hear about this?” Henry asked, persistent in pushing this until he got a favorable response. “Emma isn’t. And wow, look at that, she’s who you need to talk to! Will you do it?”

 

“Henry Mills...”

 

“Please, mom? For me? Promise you’ll try if I can get her to come?” He of course already had Emma in the bag for talking, but Regina didn’t need to know that.

 

Regina gave one long look at her son and, upon seeing the sincerity in his eyes, nodded reluctantly. “Okay, Henry. For you, I’ll try to speak to Emma. But I don’t know what good it’ll do.”

 

Henry’s mood immediately brightened with Regina’s agreement and he was quick to bounce away before his mother could take it back. “Thanks, mom! I’ll go tell Emma! Also, wear your hair swooped to the side, Emma likes that!”

 

The brunette only turned and resumed her frantic shelf organization. “As if I care how Emma likes my hair,” she mumbled, unconsciously pulling all of her hair over her right shoulder with her fingers.

 

\----

 

“Miss Swan, I fear if you continue to rock back and forth in my doorway, you’ll wear the wood out. Also that creaking is horrendous.”

 

Emma rolled her eyes and hesitantly made her way over to where the brunette was combing her hair at her vanity. It looked as if she was going to let it all fall to one side again. Cute, she mused. “You know, I’m only here because our son noticed something was going on between us.”

 

“Henry worries too much,” Regina replied flippantly, keeping her eyes carefully trained on an especially tangled section of hair. “Is there something going on between us I should be worried about?”

 

“Jesus, Regina! You haven’t spoken a word to me in more than a week!” Growing increasingly frustrated with Regina’s stubbornness, Emma yanked the brush out of the other woman’s hand and caught her chin when she whirled around in surprise. “I want to talk to you. In fact, I need to talk to you. So we’re going to have this talk, we’re going to work things out because I don’t want our son to think I’m letting you run away. Neither of us are going to let that happen again, okay?”

 

With a slow nod, Regina let out a large huff which so much reminded Emma of the expression she’d seen on the Evil Queen, she fought the urge to step back. “Will you let me finish brushing my hair at least? It’ll bother me otherwise.” She was shocked when instead of handing the brush back to her, Emma turned Regina’s head back to face forward and began brushing through the tangled strands of dark hair herself.

 

Emma said nothing- she’d never admit that she just missed holding Regina, even being in close proximity to her was something she’d been deprived of and she was eager to make up for it. “Now, I understand you’re mad at me for well, cursing you... and getting inside your head... and maybe you’re even mad because I’m brushing your hair currently! Who knows with you really-”

 

“Emma.” Regina shot in, warning the blonde to quit her rambling. “Get on with it.”

 

“My point is, I’m sorry. Like really, sincerely sorry. This all happened because I couldn’t find a good solution to my problems so I put you and Henry in danger. I also couldn’t control my magic which led to well, that whole sickeningly nice Regina mess.” Sorting out the last section of hair before sweeping it all over Regina’s left shoulder, Emma set the brush down on the vanity and backed away. “I have so much to apologize for, I know, but I won’t be sorry for going to save you. There was no way I would have just left you like that, I couldn’t.”

 

The older woman turned in her chair so that she was facing Emma, looking up to meet her eyes. “You had no right to go through my mind like that. And I... I never wanted anyone to see those memories, you especially.” She stood from the vanity bench only to move past Emma and sit on the edge of her bed. Talking about her past was difficult, but even more so when the person she was speaking to had now seen everything first hand; there was no way to hide it away anymore. “On top of that, I kissed you. Multiple times. I don’t know if it counted because it was technically my subconscious, but it was still me, telling you my feelings. So when I woke up and you were holding on to me, even after everything you saw, I got scared.”

 

“Regina, I-” Emma moved across the room to sit next to Regina, but when she tried to place an arm around her shoulder, she was met with a blatant refusal.

 

“Let me finish.”

 

“I got scared because you weren’t scared. you saw me at my most vulnerable in every stage of life and yet you stayed.” Regina shook her head and stared down at her red velvet dress. “You have to understand, Emma, I’ve never had that. In all my lowest points, who was I with? No one. Not one person has ever stood by my side and fought for me the way I watched you fight for me and I was overwhelmed with the very real possibility that you and I could maybe have something special. However, I guess you know by now that I never make anything simple and I just... I don’t think I deserve that kind of love and support, Emma. I’ve done so many awful things just to inflict the pain that I had in my own heart and no one should have to stand by someone like that, even if they are the Savior.”

 

Emma waited patiently for Regina to give her permission to talk so they sat in silence for a few moments. When the brunette’s sob reached her ears though, of course all of Emma’s attention was suddenly on her. “Oh Regina...” She took the plunge again and went for a complete hug this time. When her move wasn’t rejected, Emma pulled her tight against her chest as she had in times previous and this time there was a familiar warmth. “Never think that way, do you hear me? You’re right, I didn’t run away. I wanted to stand by you so that’s exactly what I did. Going through everything you’ve had to do was tough, I won’t lie. You are a tad bit scary sometimes and stubborn, but if anything all of this only helped me understand you better. I know why you run away when you care about someone; you think they’re going to either die or push you away so you do it first, but I’m going to sit here and swear on Granny’s grilled cheese that I will not leave you. I think after all I’ve seen, you’ve got me hooked for the long haul unfortunately.”

 

“I woke you up because I wanted to, not for some hero complex. I can’t imagine living knowing I’d just offed you like that. Henry would hate me.” Regina laughed a watery laugh, wringing her hands together in her lap nervously.

 

“But..” Emma burrowed her nose into Regina’s hair, breathing in the sweet floral scent of the dark locks for a moment and realizing she never wanted to have to let go. “You tried to push me away.”

 

“Yes.. unsuccessfully, it would seem, if you inhaling my scalp is any indication.”

 

“You pushed me away...” Realization dawned on Emma and she smiled against Regina’s head. “That means you like me, right? You really like me.”

 

Regina started to squirm in Emma’s arms then. She didn’t want to outright admit it, but yes, she was in fact head over heels for a certain blonde. “Why must you ruin a good moment?”

 

“Oh but you like me!” Emma sang, taking hold of Regina’s hips and wiggling her side to side. but then she remembered: Regina was ticklish. Quickly before she thought better of it, Emma moved her fingers along Regina’s sides and stomach, sending the older woman into a fit of panicked laughter. “Come on, admit you actually like me and I’ll stop!”

 

The brunette shook under Emma’s playful assault, but managed to rip herself away only to be pinned back to her own bed by none other than her assailant. She looked up at Emma then and melted (Henry bore that same mischievous glint in his eye), “Fine, fine! I like you, okay? You’re not completely awful!” Regina was sure her last comment was going to earn her another tickle attack, but instead she was met with a fierce kiss.

 

“Not completely awful? I’ll take it.” Emma took to kissing her again and was pleasantly surprised to find Regina just as eager to encourage her.

 

When they finally pulled apart, Emma let go of Regina’s wrists and fell to the side of her, but she immediately missed having her close so she caught her by her middle and shuffled her over. “I find I like holding you.”

 

“Yeah, a certain Evil Queen remembers a strange peasant who was oh so eager to carry her to her carriage.” Regina decided to oblige Emma, at least just this once and turned over so that she was pretty much draped over the younger woman. “I should’ve made her my personal maid at once.”

 

“Please, you would’ve fired me for insubordination sooner than later,” Emma joked as she ran the tip of her nose across Regina’s jaw.

 

So they lay there for who knows how long, watching the rising moon cast shadows across the large room in silence, neither knowing where exactly they wanted to go from here. Emma knew how Regina was though; even after their talk, she was still thinking, most definitely over-thinking, and she’d be damned if she let Regina’s subconscious beat her now.

 

“Regina Mills, I promise I will fight for you in every timeline, every realm, every universe we could possibly imagine.” Emma wrapped her arms around the smaller woman, holding her securely as she placed kisses across olive-toned cheeks. “Because I... I love you. I meant what I said: you’ll never miss me again.”

 

And for once, Regina stopped thinking and just stared at Emma, granting her that same soft, unguarded smile she’d previously only reserved for Henry. Reserved for the people she loved most. “I love you too, Emma. I promise I will always strive to be a woman you’re willing to fighting for.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well that's the end!! I hope you enjoyed it, this is my first finished multi-chapter and it was an undertaking but it was extremely fun to write! As always thank you for commenting and and loving it!
> 
> And don't forget about the comment contest!:
> 
> Writers and artists spent months creating the fics and art you enjoy - it would mean the world to them if you commented to tell them what you liked! The SQSupernova team is also sponsoring a contest for commenters, and you can find out more [here](http://sqsupernova.tumblr.com/post/164792441694/announcing-the-sqsn-comments-contest-a-reward-for)


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